DC CLOUT "DC Area Real Estate Buzz"

Goin Green Tip

More Green Tips coming...   Al Matlock DC's Green Realtor  and DC's Condo Guy    

DC Green Festival Washington DC 2008 11/08 - 11/09

Green Festival Washington DC 2008  11/08  Saturday 10am - 7pm - 11/09 Sunday  11am - 6pm  at The Washington Covention Center...   7th and L Sts NW Washington   for more green info visit the DC Green Pages

Earth Day April 22, 2008 - Worldwide

Earth Day 2008 is expected to be the biggest yet! From Tokyo to Togo, to our flagship event on the National Mall in Washington, DC and 7 other U.S. cities, we will be galvanizing millions of people around the world behind a Call for Climate, our global warming action theme. Hundreds of events are popping up all over the globe and April 22 should be a most memorable Earth Day. We will be asking people to call their government and urge significant and equitable action on climate change.  additional info earthdaynetwork.com

National Park LEED 'Green" Certified

The Washington Nationals' colors may be red, white, and blue, but its new LEED-certified stadium, the first in Major League Baseball, is green. A look at a park that's friendlier to both the earth and team earnings.

Take Me Out to the Ballpark

• Beneath the east garage is the Strike Zone: a 15,000-square-foot children's area with a PlayStation Pavilion (proceeds benefit the Nationals' charity), a Build-A-Bear outlet, and other amusements.
• The biggest scoreboard in baseball -- about five stories tall -- boasts a 4,532-square-foot high-definition video screen          orginal source foxbusiness.com

Earth Day on the National Mall - April 20th

The Line-up of entretainment preforming for Earth Day... Jordin Sparks, O.A.R., The Roots & Friends, Will I Am, Gov’t Mule, Toots and the Maytals, Thievery Corporation, DJ Cerphe from 94.7 The Globe, Warren Haynes, Umphreys McGee, DC Boys Choir, CityDance Ensemble, Urban Impact - A Joy of Motion Hip Hop Youth Company, Douge E. Fresh, Talib Kweli, Ne-Yo, Chrisette Michele.   

April 20th 12 Noon to 6:30pm

Earth Day Website here

Five Tips for a Green HomeEco-friendly

Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being “green” with these five tips: Change Your Light Bulbs By replacing just five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can save $100 per year on electric bills while using up to 75 percent less energy and removing greenhouse gases from the environment.

Buy ENERGY STAR® Appliances

ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, such as refrigerators, washers and air conditioners, meet a higher level of energy efficiency set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy than standard models. According to ENERGY STAR, if just one in 10 homes used ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, the impact could be compared to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees. And, switching to these appliances is not only good for the environment, but easy on your pocketbook. Although these appliances may costs more, you can reduce your energy bill by $80 per year.

Seal Up

Cracks and air leaks represent cash seeping from your doors and windows. Get rid of air leaks in doors, windows and other areas by caulking gaps and cracks. This will help decrease your heating and air conditioning bill. But make sure you use silicone sealants. Acrylic caulk tends to shrink, while silicone sealants are waterproof and won’t shrink or crack, creating less waste.

Use Less Water

Did you know that roughly 60 percent of a home's water consumption takes place in the bathroom, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council? The largest culprit is the toilet, which accounts for 27 percent of your household supply every year. By installing low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets, you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. In addition, replace leaky fixtures. That slow-dripping faucet can waste as much as 2,400 gallons of water per year.

Adjust the Thermostat

When adjusting your home’s thermostat, the rule of thumb should be: turn up the dial in the summer and down in the winter. Lowering the temperature by just one degree will reduce your electrical costs. And if you use a programmable thermostat, you can program your air-conditioning and heating systems to reduce output while no one is at home or at night while you sleep. Ceiling fans are also helpful in circulating the air to keep the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Going green doesn’t have to be overwhelming or costly. By making just a few small changes within your home, you can help decrease energy consumption and help make the world a “greener” place.

courtesy Al Matlock

What difference can an hour make?

You'd be surprised -- when 2.2 million residents and 2,100 businesses in Sydney, Australia, all turned off their lights for an hour in 2007, they reduced energy use by 10.2% that day. That's equivalent to taking 48,000 cars off the road.

Just by turning off the lights for 60 minutes. It was the first Earth Hour, sponsored by several Australians and the World Wildlife Fund.

This year, they've taken the idea global, and Earth Hour will be celebrated on Saturday, March 29, 2008, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., with more than 20 cities officially participating.    orginal source  green.yahoo.com          related  Earth goes dark for an hour

'Earth Hour' to plunge millions into darkness

Twenty-six major cities around the world are expected to turn off the lights on major landmarks, plunging millions of people into darkness to raise awareness about global warming, organisers said.

'Earth Hour' founder Andy Ridley said 371 cities, towns or local governments from Australia to Canada and even Fiji had signed up for the 60-minute shutdown at 0900 GMT on March 29.

"There are definitely 26 (cities) that we think, if it all goes to plan, we are going to see a major event of lights going off," he told AFP.

Cities officially involved in 'Earth Hour' include Aalborg, Aarhus, Adelaide, Atlanta, Bangkok, Brisbane, Canberra, Chicago, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Darwin, Dublin, Hobart, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Phoenix, San Francisco, Suva, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto and Vancouver.    orginal source   green.yahoo.com

Energy Saving Bulbs Pose Hidden Dangers

An important report from nbc on the new energy efficient bulbs 

Battle of the Bags: Paper vs Plastic

The battle between Paper and Plastic is a bit more complicated than the sound bites you've heard...  click for msnbc.com report...